A Lone Reply

Dean De Benedictis | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 15, 2001)
• Original Release Date: August 10, 2001
• Number of Discs: 1
• ASIN: B00005QCMV
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #720,051 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

PJB, New Age Voice Magazine, 2001

"....De Benedictis makes music for the subconscious, music that awakens cross-cultural cellular memories in an orgy of rebirthed engrams."

Product Description

A LONE REPLY This music is an atmospheric collage of multi ethnic influences, based primarily on Native American culture and spirit. "A lone reply" is a new turn, yet not unfamiliar territory for Dean De Benedictis, known in the electronic music world as Surface 10.

After accumulating an expansive sense of place from his travels, and connecting with the land and native people of the West, Dean was moved to pay homage to these earthly values.  On this CD Dean draws on deep, elongated, atmospheric melodies sometimes accompanied by driving tribal drum rhythms.

Such instruments as American Indian flutes (Mayan style), ocarina, Balinese flutes, piano, synth, hand drums, slit drums, and Dean's voice can be heard throughout "a lone reply", ninety percent of which was played by hand. Some of these instruments were accumulated during Dean's travels through the American west.  Field recordings and various samples were also utilized to create slowly evolving layers of sound, merging into a blissful, chasm-like setting.

"A lone reply" portrays a spirituality and sensitive closeness to the earth, while at the same time seeks to extract some darkness and sorrow from the mystery of existence in this time of overwhelming technological advancement. Dean states, "This is simply a lone, singular reply to it all. One with deep serenity."

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A welcome addition to a moribund(?) genre, June 11, 2002

By 

skytwo "skytwo" (Boston) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Lone Reply (Audio CD)

The whole 'tribute to the American Indian' thing made me a bit nervous, but after hearing a couple of tracks on the radio, I took the plunge and purchased it. To my surprise, I've found myself listening to the album in its entirety on more than one occasion-- and who wouldn't admit that most ambient albums contain some truly inspired tracks and a fair amount of filler?

It's tough to compare this to ambient heavyweights like woob or FSOL, and sometimes it gets a bit close to New Age for my tastes. However, it is thematically consistent-- between the more driving tracks and those which are just ambient soundscapes-- without being repetitive. For me, that is quite a relief in itself.

This isn't a genre-defining album, nor is it ambient in the mode of the em:t series, exactly, but as a slightly embarrassed ambient addict always on the lookout for new additions to the collection (when most albums are at best lackluster and non-cohesive), I was quite pleased. Like the best ambient albums, it creates a mood and sticks with it, through tracks with a beat and without (there are more without, just so you know, and I prefer 'with'). It won't take the place of 1194, Music for Airports, or Lifeforms, but it's a respectable cousin in the ambient family.

5.0 out of 5 stars unique, and new, January 21, 2003

By 

ManOfPrecision "Tony" (Lowers Bucks County, Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Lone Reply (Audio CD)

The atmosphere this music creates is that of one I cannot describe. The heavy beat of the drums and other instruments creates this chilling mood and creates a feeling of power. Its kind of hard to describe but it sounds like it's music that reflects a mind filled with anger, seeking revenge. But this music is something I never heard before and I am glad to have purchased it.